Time clock



B. MOSS TME CLOCK May 13, 1941.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 .Filed July 5, 19s v floss IN VEN TOR.

ATTORNEYS w ET IIESWJ.

May 13, 1941. B M055 2,241,610

TIME CLOCK Filed July 5, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 enjaz/n/z'nJ Moss INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented May 13, 1941 *UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 'DIME ICLOCK Benjamin Moss, Manitowoc, Wis.

Application July 5, 1939, Serial No. 282,910

(Cl.I161-17) 5Claims.

'I'his invention relates to a time clock designed primarily for use in chess tournaments, checker tournaments, or Where any other games are played which require timing of individual movements.

An object of the invention is to provide a clock which will sound an alarm at the completion of any one of several selected time intervals.

A further object is to provide a mechanism of this character which is simple, compact and emcient and can be readily adjusted to the time interval to be indicated.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear `as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may' be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings- Figure l is a plan view of the mechanism constituting the present invention, a part being broken away.

Figure 2 is a section on line 2 2, Figure l.

Figure 3 is a rear elevation of the cooperating signal members.

Figure 4 is an elevation of one of the time gears.

Figure 5 is an elevation of another time gear.

Figure 6 is a front elevation o1' a portion of the structure and showing the adjusting dial.

Figure 'I is an enlarged section on line 1-1, Figure 6, the adjusting knob and its shaft being shown in plan and a portion of the shaft being broken away.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary section on line 8-8, Figure 1.

It is to be understood that the mechanism constituting the present invention can be placed in any kind of housing. It has not been necessary to show the housing. Only the framework and the mechanism carried thereby has been shown. In the drawings, I designates a frame of any suitable construction and in this frame is mounted the main arbor 2 carrying a main spring 8 and the usual pawl and ratchet mechanism 4 whereby, by rotating the arbor in one direction by means of a key 5 or the like, the spring will be wound whereas, after the spring has been wound, it will tend to drive the arbor 2 counter-clockwise but will be prevented from so doing by the pawl and ratchet 4 and will drive gear 6 clockwise instead. This gear, as shown, is in constant mesh with a small pinion 'l carried by the arbor 8 of the alarm and to this arbor is secured an arm 9 having a head I0. By means of a flexible connecting strip I I, head I is joined to a clapper I2 having a projection I3. This clapper as well as the head I0 is located within a ring I4 constituting a chime and the ring is mounted on the frame I in any suitable manner and concentric with the arbor 8. Clapper I2, head I8 and projection I3 are normally out of contact with the ring. However when the arm is rotated quickly from a standing position, the clapper I2 will be thrown outwardly by centrifugal force so as to strike against the chime I4 and sound it.

A large gear I is secured to arbor 8 so as to rotate therewith and is in constant mesh with a small pinion I'I secured toI an arbor I8 carrying timing gears I9, and 2I. Gear I-9, which is a mutilated gear, has five teeth 22 extending from the periphery thereof at regular intervals or at '72 apart. Each of these teeth is normally alined with the first of a pair of teeth 23 extending from the intermediate mutilated gear 20 and also with the first teeth of groups 24 extending from the third mutilated gear 2I, each of these groups including three teeth. Because of the regular arrangement of the teeth on gears 20 and 2|, the second tooth of each group on each gear normally alines with the corresponding tooth on the other mutilated gear.

An arbor 25 provided for the adjusting mechanism is journalled 1n the frame I and has a sleeve 28 rotatable therewith but slidable therealong. This sleeve carries a small pinion 21 adapted to be engaged by the teeth of any one of the timing gears I9, 2li and 2I. Sleeve 26, in the form illustrated, has an annular groove 28 and in this groove is seated a fork 29. This fork is swiveled on the reduced end 30 of a screw shaft 3I and said shaft is seated in a stationary sleeve 32 secured to frame I in any suitable manner. The screw-thread on shaft 3I engages the sleeve so that when the shaft is rotated it will be shifted longitudinally. The shaft can be operated by a knob 33 and, if desired, this knob can carry an index or pointer 34 for cooperation with an indicating dial 35.

Rotation of the arbor 25 is held under restraint by an escapement mechanism indicated generally at 36. 'I'his mechanism can be of the usual or any preferred construction and is coupled to arbor 25 by a train of gears indicated at 31.

In using this time clock, it is first determined what time interval is to be allowed each player for each move. 1f the time interval is ve seconds, for example, the dial knob 33 is turned until the index or pointer is directed toward the numeral appearing on the dial 35 and as shown for example in Figure 6. This will cause the shaft 3| to be fed longitudinally until fork 29 has moved gear 21 into position to mesh with mutilated gear I9. Spring 3 is then wound in the usual way and motion will be transmitted therefrom through gears E, 1, I5 and I1 to arbor I8. If one of the teeth 22 is already in position against gear 21 at the time of starting, the gear is so timed that five seconds will be required to allow the engaging tooth 22 to pass out of mesh with gear 21. The speed of rotation of gear 21 is regulated by the escapement mechanism 35. On the completion of the five-second interval the engaged tooth 22 is released and as arbor I8 is thus left unrestrained for a limited time, it will be rotated speedily by gears G and 1 until the next tooth 22' is brought against one of the teeth of gear 21. During this speed interval the arbor 8 will cause the clapper I2-I3 to swing outwardly against and sound the chime I4 thereby indicating to the players that the time interval has expired. As soon as the second tooth 22 comes against gear 21, the speed of rotation of the parts will be slowed down by the escapement mechanism until an additional ve seconds have elapsed whereupon the foregoing operation will be repeated.

lf a longer interval, such as ten seconds, is to be allowed for each play, the sleeve 2i can be adjusted to bring gear 21 into mesh with gear 2&3. As two teeth 23 are provided in each group on this gear 2E), ten seconds will be required for the teeth to move out of mesh with gear 21 and, consequently, the chime will be sounded immediately following the ten-second interval. Should iifteen seconds, for example, be allowed each play, the gear 21 would be adjusted to mesh with gear 2l Where three teeth are provided in each group and fifteen seconds are required for all three teeth to pass out of mesh with gear 21.

Obviously the time intervals can be varied and the number of teeth on the timing gears will be increased or reduced to obtain the desired results in timing.

While a spring motor has been shown and described it is to be understood that under some conditions an electric motor might be substituted. Likewise the signal device might differ in construction and operation from that which has been shown at 9 to |11 inclusive.

What is claimed is:

1. In a time clock a motor actuated signal device, mutilated timing gears operatively connected thereto, a shiftable gear, speed restraining means operatively connected to said shiftable gear, and means for moving the shiftable gear into position for mesh with a selected mutilated gear.

2. A timeclock including a motor-actuated signal device, mutilated gears operatively connected thereto, each gear having regularly spaced groups of teeth, the number of teeth in each group on each gear being the same but differing from the number of teeth in each group on the next adjoining gear, a shiftable gear, escapement mechanism for retarding the rotation of the shiftable gear, and means for moving the shiftable gear into position for mesh with the teeth on a selected mutilated gear, thereby to retard the rotation of the motor, each mutilated gear, when moved out of mesh with the shiftable gear, being thereby released for high speed actuationy of the mutilated gears and the motor.

3. A time clock including a motor-actuated signal device, mutilated gears operatively connected thereto, each gear having regularly spaced groups of teeth, the number of teeth in each group on each gear being the same but differing from the number of teeth in each group on the next adjoining gear, a shiftable gear, escapement mechanism for retarding the rotation of the shiftable gear, and means for moving the shiftable gear into position for mesh with the teeth on a selected mutilated gear, thereby to retard the rotation of the motor, each mutilated gear, when moved out of mesh with the shiftable gear, being thereby released for high speed actuation of the mutilated gears and the motor, said signal device including a chime and a clapper movable by the motor and constructed to swing by centrifugal force into contact with the chime when the motor is released for high speed.

4. The combination with a time clock, a centrifugally operated clapper, and a motor for actuating the clapper, of a group of mutilated timing gears actuated by the motor, each of said gears including spaced groups of teeth, the teeth in the groups of one gear differing in number from the teeth in the groups of the other gears, a shiftable gear, escapement mechanism for retarding the rotation of the shiftable gear, and means for moving the shiftable gear into mesh with a selected mutilated gear thereby to retard the rotation of the mutilated gear and the clapper under the action of the motor While said gears are in mesh, said mutilated gears and the clapper being released for movement at high speed under the action of the motor when a mutilated gear is moved out of mesh with the shiftable gear, said clapper being shiftable by centrifugal force when moving at a high speed, to contact the chime.

5. A time clock including a motor, separate alined mutilated gears operatively connected to the motor, each gear having spaced groups of teeth, the teeth in the group on one gear differing in number from the teeth in the group on the next adjoining gear, a shiftable gear, escapement means for retarding the rotation of the shiftable gear, means for moving the shiftable gear into mesh with a selected mutilated gear thereby to retard the rotation of said gear and motor while the gears are in mesh, and a signal device operatively connected to the motor for actuation thereby 'when the gears are released from mesh.

BENJAMIN MOSS. 

